Don't Get Cocky
by BlazestripeAC
Summary: Cal Netter offers some words of advice to Eren the day before his first expedition. (Please tell me in the reviews whether or not you want me to continue. Until then this will be an "In-Progress" story. Thank you! )


"Hanjiiii!"

The brunette looked up to see a black-haired, silver-eyed girl running towards her at full speed.

"EEEYAAH!" Hanji cried as the girl jumped, landing on her and crashing to the ground.

"Cal-get-off-me," she huffed. Cal grinned crookedly, her eyes flashing triumphantly. "Gotcha, Hanj."

"I know you do. Get off me now," Hanji replied, to which Cal obeyed, brushing off her Survey Corps coat, still smiling. She laughed apologetically. "I got off cleaning just now and I spotted you. Can I help with Sonny?" Hanji nodded. "I'd appreciate the help."

Cal blinked at her, leaning over and holding out a hand. "Here. Let me help you up. Sorry for that, Hanj."

"It's fine," she replied, taking her hand.

"Soldier Netter." The voice came from right behind Cal and she jumped, turning to see Levi.

"C-Captain!" she said, saluting. She blinked. How the hell does he do that?

"What happened?"

"Er...I just volunteered to help Hanji with Sonny and Bean."

Levi looked to Hanji. "She did," she told him.

* * *

"I honestly have no idea how he does that." Cal shivered as they walked. "He scared the crap out of me."

"No matter that, Cal! We have to get to work!"

Cal looked at Hanji. "Of course." Something told her that something was off; she often trusted her senses, so this was bad, whatever was going to happen. "Hanji," she started, but someone ran up to her and said some words in Hanji's ear.

Hanji let out a pained cry and ran towards Sonny and Bean's enclosure. "Hanji!" Cal called, but then, seeing as she wasn't listening, ran after her.

"Sonny! Bean!" Hanji wailed. Cal looked at her first when she got there, and then blinked widely at the two skeletons that were evaporating in the sun. Her mind clouded. "What the hell..?" she whispered. "This...This is them?" She looked at Hanji's trembling form.

Of course. Of course she would be upset. Hanji herself had named the two Titans, told them stories, was generally motherly towards them. She had even cried when she was harming Bean.

Why wasn't Cal upset, then? She herself had been getting along (as well as she could, seeing as they were man-eating Titans) with them. Hell, she had even liked them.

So why wasn't she joining in with Hanji in her sorrow?

She instead blinked softly at the evaporating corpses and looked down at Hanji. She crouched beside her friend. "Come on, Hanj. Would they really want to see you cry?" she murmured. "They're with their friends now."

Hanji looked at Cal. She tried her best to put a brave face on for her. "Besides," she said, louder, "I'll make sure whoever it was gets punished for this." Her voice was dark. Now that she had promised, she had to think:

Who the hell would do such a thing?

* * *

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Cal walked beside the Titan-boy. He was still quiet.

"I hear you're going on your first expedition tomorrow." He looked at her. "How are you feeling?" she said softly. She wanted to give him at least one sense of comfort before he faced the Titans again.

"I'll kill them." He furrowed his brow. Cal smiled crookedly at his will. "I'm sure you will, Titan-shifter. However, I have some words of advice."

"Titan-shifter?" he asked. Well, that seemed to pique his curiosity. Nice to know.

"I've heard of that name only once, and that was in a really old book. Anyways," she continued, waving the nickname's origins off. Eren looked at her attentively.

"You may want to kill those Titans. I understand it. I'm going out tomorrow, too. Hell, _I'm_ going to kill some of those damn things for what they did to us."

He blinked, not saying a word. He was really paying attention, then. Good that he was, even if she was only the same rank as him, even if she was only a year older.

"However, Eren. I have some words for you." She lowered her voice, her next words mostly to Eren, but almost for herself, reminding her of the words others often spoke to others before a mission. "Don't get cocky."

"Cocky?"

"Yes. It's not going to help you or anyone else. If you do, though, I'm not going to stop you. I get you can turn into a Titan and all that, but what if you couldn't, even if you tried your hardest? That's why you shouldn't get cocky. If you do, and your Titan form didn't work, I'd bet my _Wings_ that the last thing you'd see would be the gaping inside of a Titan's mouth."

He looked at her widely, trying to process her words.

"I'm not saying I wouldn't try to get you out of that mouth, you know." She tried to assure him. Her voice grew softer. "Our job is to protect you. I would give my _life_ to do that. I think anyone in this Squad would. That may be the end for most of us, but as long as I'm watching you I promise it won't be yours." She elbowed him, playfully smirking. "But just so you know, I don't want to die, so please refrain from jumping into any Titan's mouths."

He laughed, albeit hesitantly."I won't."

She grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow...Titan Shifter."


End file.
